Ferdinand eochow



UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND ROOHOW, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

COMPOUND STEAM-ENGINEJ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.260,610, dated July 4, 1882.

Application filed March 16, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FERDINAND Rocnow, ofBrooklyn, inrthe county of Kings and State of New York, have invented anImprovement in Compound Steam-Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a steamform of .saidreversing-valve.

The object of this invention is to provide a.

steam-engine having two .or more cylinders the pistons of which connectto the same shaft with a reversing-valve that-works over five or a moreports, so that by operating said reversing-valve the live steam can belet into one of the two cylinders, and from there into the othercylinder, to do its work in the latter expansively, after having firstacted in the first cylinder. By this means the engine is put underabsolute control and all undue strain taken from the shaft. As far asthis reversingvalve and its connection with the two cylinders isconcerned, it is applicable to more than two cylinders.

The invention consists in the details of construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, the letters A B represent two steam-cylinders, thepistons G and D of which connect with cranks l" and m" on the shaft E,said cranks being by preference at right angles to each other on saidshaft, as indicated in Fig. 1. Each of said cylinders A B has its ownsteam-chest, that pertaining to the cylinder A being marked F and thatpertaining to the cylinder 13 being marked G, and in each of thesesteam-chests is a slide-valve. The cylinder A is smaller than thecylinder B, as shown. Two ports, a I), connect the ends of the cylinderA with the steam-chest F, and two similar ports, (I and 0, connect theends of the cylinder B with the steam-chest Gr. The exhaust-port, or theport which takes the place in the steam-chest F of the ordinary exhaust-Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are.

(No model.)

port, and which is marked f, communicates by a passage, g, with a port,h, that is in the bottom of a chest, H.

Below the slide-valve I of the steam-chest F, or at any other place onthe outer side of the slide-valve, the steam chest F communicates by apassage, 6, with another port. j; in the bottom of the chest H. Thesepassages gt and ports f, h, and j are clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, and4. In similar manner the port which takes the place of the usual exhaustport in the cylinder B, and which port is marked it, communicates by apassage, I, with a port, m, in the bottom of the chest H, and anotherport in the steam-chest G, outside of the slide valve J thereincontained, communicates with a passage, n, which leads to a port, 0,inthe bottom of the chest H. Thus the chest H has four ports, j,m, o,and h, as is indicated in Fig. 4 andclearly shown in Fig. 5, which saidports communicate with the said two steamchests F and G, in the manneralready stated.

Between the ports m and 0 in the bottom of the chest H is a port, 19,that communicates with the eXli'aust-pipe L proper. Steam is admittedfrom the boiler to the upper part of the chest H through a pipe, M.

Within the chest H is placed a valve, N, having a continuous passage, q,and a lower cupshaped cavity, 0, as shown in Figs. 5 to 9, inelusive. Itis quite clear that when the valve N is so placed as to cover all theports j, m, o, and h, as in Fig. 5, both engines will be at rest, for nosteam can be admitted to either of the cylinders A or B from the chestH, which is the supply-reservoir for both of said cylinders.

The valve N can be moved in the chest H by rack s and lever t, as shownin Figs. 3 and 5, so as to be under perfect control of the attendant.Now, when it is desired to use the 11m steam in the small cylinder, A,and to use the steam expansively in the larger cylinder, B, the valve Nmust be so situated as to admit steam to the cylinder A, and allow thecylinder A to communicate through its exhaust with the cylinder B. Thiscan be done, for example, by placing the valve N into the position whichis shown in Fig. 8, so as to uncover the port h. This will allow thelive steam to go through the port h and passage 9 into the port f, andthence, according to the movements of the slide-valve I, into that oneof the ports a or b which the said slide-valve uncovers. In other words,in the example stated, the steam will he allowed to enter the cylinder Athrough the connection with its slide-valve I between the ports f and bfirst, and between the ports fand a afterward, and the steam willexhaust from the cylinder A through the uncovered port into thesteam-chest outside of the valve 1, and will then pass through thechannel 17 to the port j, and (the valve N being in the position shownin Fig.8) through the continuous passage (1 to the port 0, thencethrough the passage a into the steam-chest G, being thus admitted to thecylinder B. The exhaust from the cylinder B will pass through thechannel l to the port m, and thence through the cavity 0' into theexhaust-port 12, all as indicated by arrows in Fig. 8 and also in Fig.1.

W'hen it is desired to reverse the engine under the arrangement justdescribed it is only necessary to shift the valve N from the positionshown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 9, in which case the steam will beadmitted to the cylinder A through the port j, and its connections takenfrom the cylinder A, through theport h, passage q, to the cylinder B,through the port m, and exhausted from the cylinder B through the port0, all as indicated by arrows in Fig. 9.

Figs.6 and 7 show the positions of the valve N for admittingsteamdirectly-that is to say, the live steam directlyfrom the chest H intoboth cylinders A and B. Thus, for exam ple, in the illustration shown inFig. 6, the port j being uncovered, the live steam is admitted to thecylinder A, and the port at being also uncovered, live steam is admittedto the cylinder 13, and both cylinders exhaust through the ports h and 0into the port 12. To reverse the engine under this arrangement ofpartsfthe valve N has to be placed into the position shown in Fig. 7.Thus the cylinders are connected by channels to one valve N and onechest H, having five ports, the middle port of which is connected withthe atmosphere, the two outer ports with the smaller cylinders, whereasthe two ports near the middle connect with the larger cylinder. Thereversing-valve coverin g these ports is operated by one handle andsegment, or by analogous means. This reversing-valve can be easilyplaced in position to let no steam to the cylinders, or to let livesteam into the small cylinder, while the exhaust side of the smallcylinder is connected with the large cylinder and the exhaust side ofthe latter with the atmosphere. The steam is being worked in the largecylinder expansively, after having acted, during one stroke on the smallpiston O. The valve N, however, can also be so placed as to let the livesteam into the small and the large cylinder connecting the exhausts ofeach with the atmosphere, so that in this position of valve N the engineacts as a double non-expansive engine. VVhenever the valve is reversedfrom any position to the opposite of the analogous position, the

steam entering and exhaust channels are reversed in analogous manner,and the engine assumes a reversed motion, all the other conditionsremaining the same. The principal advantages of this arrangement arethat the application of the compound system of cylinders, without theaddition of any valve-gear whatever for making the engine reversible, isrendered possible, and also a simpler and quicker means of afl'ectingthe motion of the engine by one single lever and valve is obtained.Moreover, the great difliculty heretofore experienced in startingeXpansively-working engines, particularly compound engines, before theyare warmed up is entirely overcome, as in starting my engine it is onlynecessary to so throw the valve N to one side as to admit steamimmediatelyinto each cylinder, and the engineis therefore compelled tooperate at once, cleared of all condensed water by the open arrangementof channels, and when once in working order the valve-may be thrown backto that position in which the steam is only admitted into the smallcylinder and worked expansive] y in the larger one. However, theinvention is not only ill)- portant in reversible engines, but also insta tionary engines that run in one direction. For hoistin g'engines,locomotives, and other structures where the work is very irregular andfrequently to be affected by the action of the main valve N, it issometimes desirable to exert an unusual power for a short time, althoughthe steam normally is to be used in a highlyexpansive state, so as towork economically at ordinary times. This excessive power can be readilyobtained by my arrangement when live steam is admit-ted for a shortperiod to both cylinders. Again, as this engine is a duplex engine,having its cranks l" m" set at about right angles on the shaft E, and asthe cylinders are so proportioned as to give as nearly as possible auniform pressure on the crank-pins, I obtain uniform motion without thenecessity of any fly-wheel, and am able to stop or reverse the enginealmost instantaneously with the valve N, having to overcome only a verylittle momentum. This feature is of great advantage inhoisting-engines,1ocomotives, smaller boat-engines, &c., and thearrangement of giving live steam to such class of engines, when theyhave been stopped, to start them again by a slight motion of the lever tmust prove invaluable in such cases.

Instead of making the valveN a slide-valve, as shown in Figs. 5 to 9,inclusive, it may be made to oscillatethat is to say, of segmentalformin which case the bottom of the chest H, in which it moves, will beshaped accordingly; or it may have any other proper form, ascircumstances may require. The same system of using the chest H inconnection with the cylinders A and B can also be used in connectionwith three cylinders, so that steam will first enter one cylinder fromthe chest H, from there go into the second cylinder, and from that intothe third. This is of advantage in that leads to the third cylinder,which in turn would exhaust, through the port 20, into the mainexhaust-pipe p. The same arrangement canbe used, as shown in Fig. 10, toprevent steam from entering either cylinder, or, as shown in Fig. 11, toadmit live steam at once to all three cylinders. The advantage of suchan arrangement would be that a still higher grade of expansion can beobtained, and still a uniform pressure and motion of the shaft realizedwithout the necessity of a fly-wheel. In steam-engines this arrangementwould give the best results and economize a great deal of steam.

I claim" 1. The combination of two or more steam- 'cylinders with asteam-supply chest, H, and connecting-channels, and with a valve, N,placed in said chest H, and provided with connecting cavities orchannels, whereby to let the steam into one of said cylinders directly,and take it from that into the other cylinder or cylinders expansively,or let it into all of the cylinders directly at the same time, as setforth, said chest Hcommuuicating with the atmosphere beneath the valveN, substantially as specified.

'2. The steam cylinder A and its chest F, ports a bfiand channels 9 6,combined with the chest H, having ports j m p 0 h, with the valve N,having cavities r and passage q, and with the cylinder B, having portsat e and channels l 'n, all arranged substantially as and for thepurpose herein shown and described.

3. The reversing-valve N, constructed with four lips formed by itscavity r and passage q,

in combination with the chest H, having ports j m p 0 h, and with thechests I and Jand pipe L, all arranged substantially as described.

4. The steam-cylinders A and B, made without direct connection with theatmospheric air in their respective valve-chests, and provided each withits own slide-valve, and with two channels leading to a thirdvalve-chest, H, within which chest H the connection of one or both ofsaid cylinders with the atmosphere can be established by a separatevalve, N, substantially as described. a

FERDINAND noonow.

Witnesses:

WILLY G. E. SCHULTZ, WILLIAM H. 0. SMITH.

